Game 24: Montreal Canadiens @ Colorado Avalanche
Start time: **3:00 PM EST / 12:00 PM PST**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Avalanche region: Altitude
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
When the Montreal Canadiens left on this road trip, it was hard to say how it would unfold. They were set to play three tough teams that play their best in their home arenas, so it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Montreal drop all three contests, especially given their defensive issues.
Instead, they’ve claimed wins in the first two games, stealing one in Salt Lake City when they were outplayed by the Mammoth, then earning one with a great showing in Las Vegas. With those four points and some losses from teams that had been ahead of them, the Habs are back in second place in the Atlantic Division.
Now comes the toughest test any team can face this season: a visit to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs had played 11 games at Ball Arena, and have spoiled their fans with a 9-0-2 record. In the preview for this game, we saw that they outscore teams by about two goals this year; on home ice, that jumps to two-and-a-half, averaging 4.64 goals in their own building.
It’s probably best to keep expectations low for this game, but that doesn’t mean the confident Canadiens won’t be trying everything to get the win. The Minnesota Wild proved yesterday afternoon that the Avalanche can be beaten, but it’s going to take a boatload of offence to make that happen.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #13 Cole Caufield | #14 Nick Suzuki | #76 Zachary Bolduc |
| #20 Juraj Slafkovský | #91 Oliver Kapanen | #93 Ivan Demidov |
| #85 Alexandre Texier | #71 Jake Evans | #17 Josh Anderson |
| #63 Florian Xhekaj | #90 Joe Veleno | #11 Brendan Gallagher |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #8 Mike Matheson | #53 Noah Dobson |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj | #48 Lane Hutson |
| #42 Adam Engström | #45 Alexandre Carrier |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #75 Jakub Dobeš | #35 Samuel Montembeault |
Scratched: Jared Davidson
Injured: Kirby Dach, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Jayden Struble
Colorado Avalanche projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Artturi Lehkonen | Nathan MacKinnon | Martin Necas |
| Ross Colton | Brock Nelson | Gabriel Landeskog |
| Parker Kelly | Jack Drury | Victor Olofsson |
| Ivan Ivan | Zakhar Bardakov | Joel Kiviranta |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Devon Toews | Cale Makar |
| Josh Manson | Brent Burns |
| Samuel Girard | Sam Malinski |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| Mackenzie Blackwood | Scott Wedgewood |
